Source: Canadian Heritage (Ottawa)

Continued Support for Canada's Top Athletes and Coaches

Government of Canada reiterates its support for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 14, 2015) - Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today reiterated the Government of Canada's continued support for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network. The Government of Canada is investing close to $16 million per year in the national network of seven Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes. These facilities provide world-class training, sport medicine, sport science and lifestyle services and support to Canada's top athletes and coaches.

Minister of State Gosal was joined by sport leaders and athletes as they toured the facilities of the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario inside the new Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. The Government of Canada invested nearly $115 million in the construction of the venue, which will be a major legacy of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

Quick Facts

  • Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes were created in the late 1990s by a unique national partnership between Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada to enhance the daily training environment of Canada's high-performance athletes and coaches. In each case, the provincial governments are funding partners of the network that includes Own the Podium and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

  • In 2014-15, the Government of Canada, through Sport Canada's Sport Support Program, invested $15,854,724 in the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, including:
    • Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (Halifax): $625,844
    • Institut National du sport du Québec (Montréal): $3,920,673
    • Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (Toronto): $2,374,629
    • Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (Winnipeg): $435,800
    • Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan (Saskatoon): $311,420
    • Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (Calgary): $3,607,349
    • Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (Richmond, B.C.): $4,579,009

  • In the four years prior to the London 2012 and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, the Government invested over $54 million and $61.8 million, respectively, in the national network, including over $6.6 million and $7.4 million in the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario. Looking forward through the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, our Government is continuing to provide our top athletes and coaches with what they need to compete-including over $48 million to the network between 2013 and the end of 2015-16, $6.6 million of which will go to the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario.

  • The Canadian Sport Institute Ontario assists about 700 high-performance athletes and 250 coaches in 20 sports at its main facility at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, its satellite location at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton and in daily training environments across Ontario.

  • Supporting this national network ensures that each centre or institute is able to continue to provide world-class services and programs to Canada's top athletes and coaches, enabling them to continue their relentless pursuit of podium performances wherever they compete.

  • During the Year of Sport of Canada, we are celebrating our athletes and their role in inspiring all Canadians-especially our young people-as they compete at home in major international events throughout the year, including the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 and the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

  • When we embrace the power of sport and lead more active lifestyles, we benefit as individuals but we also build healthier, stronger communities. That is why the Government has doubled the Children's Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000. This, together with the expansion of the Universal Child Care Benefit, will help offset the costs of parents enrolling their children in organized sports.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada remains a proud and significant funding partner in the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network. Our support ensures that each centre and institute has the resources required to help our athletes and coaches compete against the world's best-and win. Especially during the Year of Sport in Canada, our Government continues to invest in sport at record levels because we know the impact it has: from local playgrounds and recreational sport leagues all the way to high-performance athletes, sport is vital to the cultural fabric of our nation. Our country is a leading sport nation, and we want to keep it that way."

-The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)

"We are grateful for the financial support we receive from the Government of Canada through the leadership of Sport Canada. It is with these funds that we can continue to provide world-class sport science and sport medicine services in state-of-the-art facilities such as the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre and our satellite facility at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre. These facilities support Canada's high-performance athletes and coaches as they strive for international podium performances. It is an exciting Year of Sport in Canada, and we look forward to assisting our athletes and coaches in their preparation and success at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and beyond."

-Chris Rudge, Chair, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Associated Links

Canada.ca/Sport

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes

FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015

Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games

Children's Fitness Tax Credit

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Contact Information:

Robert Lynch
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Bal Gosal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of State (Sport)
819-934-1122
robert.lynch@sports.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca